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Ephesians 4:7-16
New King James Version
Ephesians 4:7-16
New King James Version
Spiritual Gifts
7 But (A)to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says:
(B)“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”
9 (C)(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also [a]first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One (D)who ascended far above all the heavens, (E)that He might fill all things.)
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, (F)for the [b]edifying of (G)the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith (H)and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to (I)a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be (J)children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of (K)deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the (L)head—Christ— 16 (M)from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ephesians 4:9 NU omits first
- Ephesians 4:12 building up
Ephesians 4:7-16
New Living Translation
Ephesians 4:7-16
New Living Translation
7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift[a] through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”[b]
9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.[c] 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
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Ephesians 4:7-16
Amplified Bible
Ephesians 4:7-16
Amplified Bible
7 Yet grace [God’s undeserved favor] was given to each one of us [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ’s [rich and abundant] gift. 8 Therefore it says,
“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And He bestowed gifts on men.”(A)
9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had previously descended [from the heights of heaven] into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the very same as He who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things [that is, the whole universe]). 11 And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct], 12 [and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church]; 13 until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity]. 14 So that we are no longer children [spiritually immature], tossed back and forth [like ships on a stormy sea] and carried about by every wind of [shifting] doctrine, by the cunning and trickery of [unscrupulous] men, by the deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything [for personal profit]. 15 But speaking the truth in love [in all things—both our speech and our lives expressing His truth], let us grow up in all things into Him [following His example] who is the Head—Christ. 16 From Him the whole body [the church, in all its various parts], joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up [a]in [unselfish] love.
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- Ephesians 4:16 See note v 2.
Ephesians 4:7-16
New International Version
Ephesians 4:7-16
New International Version
7 But to each one of us(A) grace(B) has been given(C) as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it[a] says:
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended(F) higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)(G) 11 So Christ himself gave(H) the apostles,(I) the prophets,(J) the evangelists,(K) the pastors and teachers,(L) 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ(M) may be built up(N) 13 until we all reach unity(O) in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God(P) and become mature,(Q) attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.(R)
14 Then we will no longer be infants,(S) tossed back and forth by the waves,(T) and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.(U) 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love,(V) we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,(W) that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows(X) and builds itself up(Y) in love,(Z) as each part does its work.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 4:8 Or God
- Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:18
- Ephesians 4:9 Or the depths of the earth
Ephesians 4:7-16
King James Version
Ephesians 4:7-16
King James Version
7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
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New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Amplified Bible (AMP) 
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.